Reaper defauts my EMU 0404 to 44.1 kHz

Hello all. I've been using reaper for a while and I've got a new audio interface for mobile recording the EMU 0404. I only problem is that even though I set the 0404 to 88.2 kHz, when I open Reaper the interface switches back to reapers default sample rate: 44.1 kHz. I've gone into options/preferences/Audio/Device and checked and unchecked "request sample rate" and typed in 88. I've checked and unchecked "Allow projects to override device sample rate". One thing is that when I check an option, the button "apply" never highlights, I just select "OK". Whether these options are on or off, the 0404 still defaults back to 44.1 kHz. Has anyone come across this problem before? Any suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated! :)

Anybody....? :(

try changing it in File/Project Settings.